User story & summary:

As a logged-out mobile web user, I want to create a Wikipedia account through a simple step-by-step flow so that I can complete registration without being overwhelmed by all fields at once.

Background & research:

This task builds on the V2 account creation experiment (T422295), which introduced a cleaned-up single-page form with username policy copy, live username validation, and a password reveal toggle. While V2 reduced visual clutter, the form still presents all fields simultaneously, which increases cognitive load - especially on small screens where the keyboard covers much of the viewport.

A comparative analysis of the top 20 most visited websites (T410558) shows that most platforms use stepped or single-field-per-view account creation flows to reduce friction. This task implements that pattern for Wikipedia's mobile web account creation, splitting the form into three sequential steps: (1) email, (2) username, and (3) password and confirm password.

Design:

Scope: this task is scoped to Mobile web only.

Figma designs

Acceptance Criteria:

Step 1 - Email

AC1

• Given I am a logged-out user and I navigate to the account creation destination (displayed as full-screen dismissible dialog)
• When the dialog opens
• Then I see a single-step form showing only the email address field, a "Next" button, and a "Register without an email" button below it

AC2

• Given I am on Step 1 and I enter a valid email address
• When I tap "Next"
• Then I am taken to Step 2 (username)

AC3

• Given I am on Step 1 and I leave the email field empty
• When I tap "Next"
• Then I see an inline error below the field: "Email address is required"
• AND I cannot advance to Step 2

AC4

• Given I am on Step 1
• When I tap "Register without an email"
• Then I am taken to the V2 single-page account creation form (T422295)
• AND the email address field is visible on page load with: a warning/alert icon before the "Email address" label, a "(recommended)" flag, and the field description "Email is required to recover your account if you lose your password or log in from an unfamiliar location or new browser"

Step 2 - Username

AC5

• Given I am on Step 2
• When the step loads
• Then I see the username field with the policy tl;dr displayed as a field description above the input, per the V2 design (T422295)

AC6

• Given I am on Step 2 and I am typing a username
• When I pause after entering characters
• Then live validation runs and I see either a "Username available" confirmation or an inline error

AC7

• Given I am on Step 2 and a valid username is entered
• When I tap "Next"
• Then I am taken to Step 3 (password)

Step 3 - Password

AC8

• Given I am on Step 3
• When the step loads
• Then I see a password field and a confirm password field, each with a password reveal toggle

AC9

• Given I am on Step 3 and both password fields are filled in correctly
• When I tap "Create your account"
• Then my account is created and I am redirected (see open questions)

Open questions:

1. Where should users be redirected after successful account creation when they started from the Wikipedia main page? Options include: the newcomer homepage, the main page (with a welcome banner), something else?